Christina Krüsi

Christina Krüsi
Krusi - speaking engagement
Born	(1968-07-15) July 15, 1968 Zurich, Switzerland
Occupation	Author, Artist
Spouse	Roland Weber (2nd marriage)
Children	2 (Raphael and Timon)
Website
http://www.christina-kruesi.com/ & (Artist website: www.ckruesi.ch/ )

Christina Krüsi was born July 15, 1968 in Zurich, Switzerland, the second of six children. In 1966, Krusi's parents moved the family to the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia to work for the American Christian Missionary Society, SIL/Wycliffe and translate the bible into the local Chiquitano and other Indian dialects. The base for the mission was located in Tumi Chucua in the country's northeast corner. In 1979, the family returned to Switzerland where Krusi completed her Swiss education requirements, later married and moved to the Ivory Coast of Africa (returning two years later due to civil unrest). In 2003, Krusi and several friends with alleged experiences of abuses in Bolivia, approached Wycliffe/SIL International with the claim they had failed in their responsibility to protect. Formal apologies were issued, formal documents were not made public however, and new child protective measures were installed. Krusi went on to complete two Master's Degrees and develop her art, music and literary work. She also became a consultant in conflict management and motivational speaker, published her memoirs, Paradise Was My Hell (Droemer Knaur, July 2013), and created the Christina Krusi Foundation for child protection from violence and abuse through public awareness. In April 2014, Swiss Television debuted an expose on Krusi's alleged abuse experiences in Bolivia. She remains in Zurich, Switzerland with her family.

Amazon Rainforest

Native woman of Bolivia

Life 1966-2002

Krusi's family journeyed to the Bolivian rainforest under the guidance of Wycliffe Switzerland, (one of 105 independent Wycliffe organizations within the Wycliffe Global Alliance umbrella of SIL International) to assist with Bible translation.

Krusi 1978 Tumi Chucua, Bolivia

Krusi returned to Switzerland with her family in 1979 at 11 years old. During the following four years (1980–84), Krusi finished middle school in Diessenhofen, Switzerland and then attended art school at Stuttgart/DE and St. Gallen for two years before receiving teacher training at Amriswil. The same year (1987 and now 19 years old), she married a man five years her senior who was also from the Christian community. Together they had two children (sons Raphael and Timon). In 1992, the family moved to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire for two years where Krusi worked as an art teacher and illustrator. However, with the threat of civil war in 1994, they returned to Switzerland. For the next three years (1994–97), Krusi became an adult education drawing teacher as well as head mistress for the local Marthalen Senior High School in Zurich. She also developed her art and education, taking sculpture and anatomy courses in Schaffhausen (Switzerland)and Stuttgart, Germany, and attending the Vocational School for Design in Zurich.

Zurich, Switzerland

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Book/Documentary

In 2003, Krusi joined a number of other women alleging abuses in Bolivia and approached SIL/Wycliffe, which in turn, were investigated by SIL (report completed in 2005). Although conclusions were not made public, Wycliffe implemented several strict policy changes to protect children, including assistance from MIRA, a Swiss-based organization for sustainable prevention of sexual exploitation and the The Child Safety and Protection Network Krusi went on to publish her biography in 2013, Paradise Was My Hell, which detailed her alleged Bolivian abuse experiences. Krusi contends victims were put under tremendous pressure by abusers not to talk and denies that her abuse experiences were repressed memories because she recorded them in a diary at 13 years old (and discussed them with her mother at 16). The diary was never made public. After the books release, Wycliffe Switzerland stated that SIL claims to confirm the abuse in Boliva, including Krusi, however no additional details were provided and regretted the alleged offenders could not be prosecuted due to time-barred restrictions and some alleged perpetrators had died. Following the book, in April 2014, Swiss Television produced an documentary on Krusi's alleged abuses (titled "I am no longer a victim - Abused in the name of God.") including details of an alleged ritual child murder which Krusi claims to have witnessed. SIL was skeptical of the film, contending that majority of alleged offenders deny the crimes or have died and expressed doubts as to the full extent of Krusi's experiences. Wycliffe, however, acknowledged her courage but stated disappointment the film failed to explain why violators were not punished, reacted strongly to its sub-title, and noted their lack details of the alleged ritual child murder (which they are now investigating).

Sunset Tumi Chucua (taken by Krusi 2013)

Krusi in Art Studio

Life 2003-Present

Although Krusi's marriage ended in 2002, she continued as head mistress at Marthalen High School (until 2006) and participated in art/poetry/music projects and exhibitions, using her painting as a creative outlet, and between 2007–12, she completed two Masters Degrees: Management Culture from Zurich University of Applied Sciences (AW Zurich) in 2007 and Educational Management at Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich - as part of the MAS) in 2012.

Krusi's home Winterthur, Switzerland

She also assumed a management position for a kindergarten-to-senior school in Winterthur, Switzerland, introduced MAP Magazine for artist professionals in conjunctions with Open Doors Winterthur, implemented an addiction and violence prevention program (QUIMS: Quality In Multicultural Schools) for the Winterthur Töss School District, and expanded both her consulting work and sculpture/painting. Also, in addition to releasing her book, in 2013 Krusi co-founded (with supporter Gudrun Ruttkowski) the Christina Krüsi Foundation for the protection of children, which supports people and projects that raise public awareness - "opens society's eyes" to the issues of child abuse (the Foundation receives a portion of Krusi's book and art sales) and completed a children's book. The same year, Krusi received a Swiss Federal Diploma in Conflict Management and Mediation (ZHAW) which broadened her consulting to include lectures and seminars in German and English on resilience, creative strategy building and motivational training.

Krusi currently resides in Winterthur, Switzerland, a suburb of Zurich, and lives with her second husband and two grown children. She continues to develop her art, professional and foundation works.